Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

Butterflies: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Suzanne Ciani

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Lullaby rippleRight hand Chattering waltzChords the loop the song repeats most

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Butterflies without reading music. The left hand plays lullaby ripple (broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4)) and the right hand chattering waltz.

Butterflies accompaniment in letter notes

The A – D – A – Bm loop with lullaby ripple in the left hand and chattering waltz in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
A
RA4+C#5 A4+C#5 E4 A4+C#5 E4
LA2 E3 A3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 2
D
RD5+F#5 D5+F#5 A4 D5+F#5 A4
LD2 A2 D3 A2 D3 A2
Bar 3
A
RA4+C#5 A4+C#5 E4 A4+C#5 E4
LA2 E3 A3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 4
Bm
RB4+D5 F#4 B4 D5 F#5 B5 D6 F#6 B6
LB2 F#3 B3 F#3 B3 F#3
Bar 5
A
RA4+C#5 A4+C#5 E4 A4+C#5 E4
LA2 E3 A3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 6
D
RD5+F#5 D5+F#5 A4 D5+F#5 A4
LD2 A2 D3 A2 D3 A2
Bar 7
A
RA4+C#5 A4+C#5 E4 A4+C#5 E4
LA2 E3 A3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 8
Bm
RB4+D5 B4+D5 F#4 B4+D5 F#4
LB2 F#3 B3 F#3 B3 F#3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

Play next

Questions about Butterflies

What are the letter notes for the Butterflies piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is A – D – A – Bm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Butterflies?

The loop is A – D – A – Bm (V – I – V – vi) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Butterflies in?

D major, at about 122 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Butterflies?

Lullaby ripple: broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Butterflies easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.